To the list of “Things We Know To Be True, But Science Has Not Yet Proven“, we can add laughter as medicine. Scientists have found that laughter helps to relieve depression and anxiety, and may add years to your life. According to a recent study in Current Psychiatry, “Researchers found that the higher a person’s sense of humor score, the higher his (her) odds ratio of surviving 7 years.”

Neuroscientists don’t know where it comes from, but they are searching the brain for the biological roots of laughter. Brain scans hint at several possible sites. A case report, describing a 16 year-old girl undergoing brain surgery, reports how laughter was elicited by electrically stimulating her left frontal superior gyrus.

Most psychotherapists use a bit of laughter in counseling. Used carefully, it helps to relieve anxiety and improve concentration. As I talk with patients about stressful events, we sometimes find a that a heart-felt laugh takes the bite out of anxiety-provoking topics

Go ahead – laugh a little. The link below may get you started. A patient recommended it last week.

For a good laugh click on the image below:

For more scientific information see:
Nasr, Suhayl. No laughing matter: Laughter is good psychiatric medicine. Current Psychiatry, August 2013.